torrence



'Um'rnn STATES PATENT MACHINE FORGIRDLING AND FELLING 'mn y,

specification f Letters patent No. 26,385, `dated,iaemmaser. eiis To all 'whom 'it may concern:

l Be it known that I, A. P. TORRENCE, of Oxford, in the county of Newton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and` Improved Device for Felling and Girdling Trees; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the anneXed drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichy Figure 1,Ris a side view of my invention applied to its work. Fig. 2, is a plan or top view of ditto. v Similar letters of reference` indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a simple and eicient device for felling and girdling trees, one that may be readily applied to its work, operated with facility and constructed at a moderate cost.

The invention consists in attaching a cutter to a proper handle and connecting said cutter and handle to a draft lever 'in such a way that when the implement is applied to its work, the necessary power applied to the draft lever and the cutter handle properly manipulated by the operator, the cutter will be moved around the tree` and cut the same circumferentially and toward its center.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand Vand construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a cutter which is of gougeform and attached to a handle B, to the` front side of the handle B, a bar a, is attached the inner end of said :bar being wider than its other portion in order to conform to the width of the cutter andform a gage for the same, the gage by adjusting the bar a, on the handle B," exposing more or less of the edge of the cutter and thereby determining the depth of the cut which may be graduated according to the power applied to the device.

To the cutter A, a bar C, is attached by points b, b, said bar being allowed tolwork l freely o n its points. The bar C, is perforated with holes at equal distances `apart and passes through a slotted perforated bar D, which is also perforated, the two bars C, D, being connected by a pin or bolt y c. Through the bar D, a perforated bar E, also passes and is secured by a pin or bolt d, said bar E, also passing through a slot in In thelever G, friction `rollers f, f, are placed and if desired thejbar D, mayalso l be provided with friction; rollers althouglr` none are shown in thedrawingf` The leveri G, extends outward any` desiredilength] and" it is provided near itsendwitliaswivell tree in order that a horse or otherdraft animal may be attached thereto. The implement isfrappli wtothe tree tol be operated on assshowniclearly '1,n1I*`ig.2,f`` the tree beingshown in red, the attachment i of the bars C, D, E, to eachf other and` to `1 the lever G, being regulated by fitting the:` bolts c, d, e, in the` proper holessothat the; l device may be adjusted"lto suitthesizeof the tree. The `animal outer'part g to revolve around the tr y y, y indicated by the arrowr theyoperatorghav ing hold of the handle ij "As the lever G, rotates the cutter A, pe etrates the tree and` v is carried around, thedraftapplied toflever y G, having a tendencyftojfeed or drawthe cutter inward to its work.,` The leverfG,is3 rotated unt-il the cutter hasnearlylreached the center of the tree, or until the tree be gins to bend on the cutter at one side,\indi p cating thatit leans. Theyoperatorfthen rev `1 leases the handle :B,`:` and the"v` implement dropsfrom the tree andtheanimalisstart ed on until out ofthe wayofthe tree,`whenw the work "is y finished with,` the axe. *`In girdling trees the implement when applied to medium sizedtrees could be :worked eX-.f clusively by hand. v

It will be seen from I therefore` do not confine mys the arrangement of thebars C, D, E connecting thehandle, B, and lever G.` I would remark` thatI the friction lrolle f, f, may have a screwthread ontheir pe# riphery in order to have "a `tendency` as the lever G, is rotated to elevate said leverl v and overcome the gravity `of the samether by preventingthe dropping of thedmpl ment before the first cut is made aro y tree. After thefrst cut ismade" aronn the tree the implement:willsnstainlitselffu The form of the cutter Aymayf also a lever G, which is also perforated the bar E, being secured in the lever by a bolt e.

l varied as circumstancesmay requlr girdling trees the gouge-form of cutter as a. draft lever G, by the bars C, D, E, or shown Would probably be preferable. For any equivalent means so as to operate sub- 10v felling a V-shape Woulf be the best. stantially as and for the purpose set forth.V

Havin thus describe In invention what Y 5 I claim ags new and desire gro secure by Let- A' P' TORRENCE ters Patent, is, Witnesses:

The employment or use of the handle B, A. M. EDDLEMAN, provided With a cutter A, and connected to T. A. SMITH. 

